{"id":19057,"date":"2018-12-06T23:24:30","date_gmt":"2018-12-07T04:24:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=19057"},"modified":"2025-09-25T15:40:07","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T19:40:07","slug":"a-letter-to-santa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=19057","title":{"rendered":"A Christmas Wish (by puppycuddles)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Each member of the family is important. The absence of just one or two is greatly felt, especially during the Christmas season. Ben reflects on the changes the year has brought while someone else makes a special wish. A prequel story.<\/p>\n

Rating: G<\/p>\n

Word count: 1,326 words<\/p>\n

A Christmas Wish<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was Christmas Eve. I stared into the flames and sighed. How different this Christmas Eve was from last year\u2019s. The house had been filled with joy as the five of us laughed and sang and danced in front of the fire.<\/p>\n

This year, however, few happy sounds were heard. I had forced a smile on my face and tried to cheer the boys up by joking and laughing, but it didn\u2019t seem to work. It seemed nothing could shake the somber mood. The boys trudged upstairs to bed early and even the thought of Santa failed to bring a smile to Little Joe\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

I sighed again. What a change one year could make. What a difference the absence of two people could make. Oh, how I miss them both. Marie, my wonderful, charming wife who could light up a room by merely walking into it, and Adam, my serious, dry humored first-born who had matured greatly in the months since Marie\u2019s passing.<\/p>\n

But while I missed Adam, I knew his absence was only temporary. He would be back, at my right hand once again, helping to build the Ponderosa and keep his younger brothers in line. Until then, I had his letters to look forward to.<\/p>\n

Of Marie, however, there is no future to look forward to. All I have is the past, the memories we made, and the tangible items she loved to make me feel close to her. The firelight glinted off the item between my fingers. Marie\u2019s wedding ring. I couldn\u2019t help but smile as I remembered how her face lit up the moment I placed it on her finger. She\u2019d been so proud of her ring. She\u2019d loved to watch how the diamond sparkled as the light bounced off of it. It had been her most treasured possession.<\/p>\n

A faint sound caught my attention. I wiped my eyes, slipping the ring into my pocket, and glanced towards the stairs waiting for one of the boys to appear. After a few moments, I was beginning to think I was hearing things when a curly dark head peered around the stairwell.<\/p>\n

The<\/em> past<\/em> is<\/em> not<\/em> all<\/em> you have,<\/em> I heard a gentle voice whisper in my ear. I<\/em> left<\/em> you<\/em> something<\/em> much<\/em> more precious<\/em> than<\/em> even<\/em> my<\/em> ring<\/em>. He<\/em> is<\/em> our<\/em> future<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Her words brought a smile to my face. She was right, but then she usually was.<\/p>\n

\u201cLittle Joe, I thought you went to bed hours ago…what are you doing up?\u201d<\/p>\n

Caught, he slowly came down stairs and stood next to my chair, head downcast. He\u2019d reverted to sucking his thumb I noticed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong, son?\u201d I asked. Without raising his head, he glanced up at me thru long lashes but didn\u2019t respond. Maybe he\u2019s just lonely. Joe had become very clingy in the recent months and hated being by himself. Not that I could blame him. His whole world had been turned upside down. \u201cCome sit up here with me.\u201d I patted my knee.<\/p>\n

He pulled his thumb from his mouth and climbed up on my lap where I promptly hugged him close. \u201cNow, you want to tell me why you\u2019re not in bed? Santa can\u2019t bring you presents if you’re not asleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

A frown appeared on his little face. \u201cIs it true?\u201d<\/p>\n

I was puzzled. \u201cIs what true?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHoss says Santa can bring me whatever I want? Is that true?\u201d<\/p>\n

I hadn\u2019t been a father for seventeen years not to know these questions were leading somewhere. \u201cWell, it depends on what it is you want…and how much of a good boy you\u2019ve been this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Innocent green eyes stared up at me. \u201cI\u2019ve been real good this year, haven\u2019t I, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

I smiled, ruffling his wild curls. If he didn\u2019t get a haircut soon people would start mistaking him for a girl. \u201cYes, I think it\u2019s safe to say you\u2019ve been a very good boy this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you think Santa will bring me what I want?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it you want Santa to bring you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI asked Santa to bring Mama back to me. Hoss says he can\u2019t. What do you think, Pa?\u201d<\/p>\n

I hugged him tight, closing my eyes to hide the tears that threatened to fall. How do you explain to a five-year old that his mother is never coming back? My words felt lodged in my throat and I swallowed hard.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe, son,-\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cHe can\u2019t, can he?\u201d<\/p>\n

I shook my head. \u201cNo, I\u2019m afraid not.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s not ever coming back, is she?\u201d<\/p>\n

Tears slid down my cheeks as again I shook my head. His lower lip quivered and he dropped his head to stare at his hands. Silent sobs began to shake his body, my heart breaking as I hugged him to me. He buried his face in my shirt and cried.<\/p>\n

How long we sat there, I\u2019ll never know. It seemed like hours but in truth it was probably only minutes. When his sobs died down, Joe pulled away from me, wiping his nose and eyes on the hem of his nightshirt. Normally, I would\u2019ve scolded him for such an action but tonight I couldn\u2019t bring myself to do so.<\/p>\n

\u201cPa?\u201d He looked up at me and the expression on his face told me there was something else on his mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cHmm?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan- can Santa bring Adam back?\u201d<\/p>\n

I sighed. \u201cNot in time for Christmas tomorrow, I\u2019m afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen when?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot for a long time, son.\u201d<\/p>\n

He scrunched up his nose and mouth as he pondered my words. \u201cBut he can bring him back, can\u2019t he?\u201d<\/p>\n

I nodded happy to finally be able to give him a positive answer. \u201cYes, Little Joe. He sure can.\u201d<\/p>\n

A smile lit up his little face and he scrambled down from my lap. \u201cWell, then I\u2019d better hurry.\u201d He grabbed my hand, tugging me out of the chair. \u201cCome on, Pa, I need you to help me.\u201d<\/p>\n

I couldn\u2019t help but chuckle at the quick change in his mood. \u201cWhat is it you need help with?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI need you to help me write a new letter to Santa before it\u2019s too late.\u201d He gave my hand another tug. \u201cCome on, Pa, hurry! I\u2019ve got to have it done before he gets here!\u201d<\/p>\n

I chuckled. \u201cAll right, boy, I\u2019m coming.\u201d<\/p>\n

I sat down at the desk, took out a pen, ink, and a clean sheet of paper and studiously copied down the words he dictated. When the letter was written and sealed he happily hugged it tight.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Pa.\u201d He grinned, turning to race upstairs only to stop on the first step. \u201cBut how will Santa get my letter in time? He\u2019s coming tonight and I can\u2019t mail it until tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

I smiled. \u201cGive it to me. I\u2019ll wait up for Santa and make sure he gets it when he comes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Pa!\u201d He bounded over to me, depositing the letter on my desk. \u201cWow, I wish I could meet Santa!\u201d<\/p>\n

I tweeted his nose. \u201cNobody\u2019s going to meet Santa if you don\u2019t get up to bed, young man. So scoot!\u201d<\/p>\n

He giggled, racing up the stairs. \u201cHoss! Hoss! Adam\u2019s coming home!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShh! Joseph! Let your brother sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

He paused momentarily at the top, the wide still on his face as he turned to look at me. \u201cGood night, Pa. Don\u2019t worry, Santa will bring Adam home. I just know it.\u201d<\/p>\n

-\/-\/-\/-<\/p>\n

Four years later, Adam did indeed come home. Joe claims it was Santa who brought him home. I don\u2019t know whether or not Santa had anything to do with it but I\u2019m not about to argue. My boy is home, safe, and that\u2019s all that matters to me.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tags:\u00a0 Ben Cartwright,\u00a0Joe \/ Little Joe Cartwright,\u00a0JPM<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/g><\/svg><\/i> \"Loading\"<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0\u00a0Each member of the family is important. The absence of just one or two is greatly felt, especially during the Christmas season. Ben reflects on the changes the year has brought while someone else makes a special request. A prequel story.<\/p>\n

Rating: G<\/p>\n

Word count: 1,253 words<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9223,"featured_media":5062,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19057","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-prequels","wpcat-30-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":1456,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/DearSanta2.jpg?fit=248%2C203&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":29112,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=29112","url_meta":{"origin":19057,"position":0},"title":"Joe’s Christmas Wish – a Christmas poem (by KateP)","author":"KateP","date":"December 24, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 What does Joe wish for Christmas? Rating:\u00a0 G\u00a0 (130 words)","rel":"","context":"In "Poetry"","block_context":{"text":"Poetry","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":15557,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=15557","url_meta":{"origin":19057,"position":1},"title":"A Christmas Wish (by patina)","author":"patina","date":"December 25, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0 This story was written for the 2016 Advent Collection. 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